Native Americans

News about Native Americans, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 30, 2015

Shooting of James Goggles and Stallone Trosper, members of Northern Arapaho Tribe, by caucasian man Roy Clyde at alcohol detox facility in Riverton, Wyo, has heightened tensions between American Indian and white communities; tribal officials are calling for federal investigation into whether shooting, which killed Trosper and critically wounded Goggles, was a bias attack; tensions date back to Riverton's founding in 1905, when city was carved out of Wind River Reservation for white settlement. MORE

Jul. 19, 2015

Flood in Cache, Okla, opens up dialogue about how to save crumbling Star House, 1890 home of Comanche Nation's renowned last chief Quanah Parker; owner Wayne Gipson has refused to sell tourist attraction, but damage from deluge is forcing him to discuss how to save building with tribal leaders and Parker's descendants. MORE

Jul. 9, 2015

Federal Judge Gerald Bruce Lee upholds repeal of Washington Redskins trademarks, win for Native American groups that have urged team to scrap name many find bigoted and offensive; Redskins plan to appeal ruling. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Study published in journal Nature finds that Kennewick Man, 8,500-year-old skeleton that was discovered in Washington state riverbed, has no European DNA, and that he was likely most closely related to Native Americans; remains became subject of controversy as various groups attempted to claim them. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Op-Ed article by author Thomas King fears Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on government program that sanctioned kidnapping of native children and educating them in church-run residential schools will not lead to any sort of justice; details long history of Canadian government ignoring ill treatment of native population. MORE

May. 29, 2015

Lydia Millet Op-Ed article calls attention to fact that members of San Carlos Apache tribe are occupying Oak Flat in Arizona to protest Congress handing over title for ancient Apache holy place to foreign mining concern Resolution Copper Mining; contends giveaway was only approved because it was last-minute rider included in must-pass defense authorization bill by Sens John McCain and Jeff Flake, and thus did not receive public scrutiny. MORE

May. 17, 2015

Op-Ed article by author Joe Flood examines struggle of South Dakota's Oglala Lokata tribe with surge in youth suicides; holds what is being held from public awareness is fact that suicides are undeniably linked to multigenerational sexual abuse; cites research showing generations of Native American children were forcibly removed from families and placed in isolated church-run schools that allowed sexual abuse to run rampant. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Lawmakers in Alabama are seeking to amend state's constitution in order to institute lottery and gambling; move comes in response to offer from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which has promised to make up large state budget deficit; change follows years of anti-gambling rhetoric in state. MORE

May. 7, 2015

May. 6, 2015

Well-coordinated coalition of Native Americans, landowners and grass-roots groups in South Dakota is continuing efforts to block approval of a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline; efforts are one part of a much bigger debate across nation about the TransCanada project, which has stoked passions on both sides; more than six years after initial proposal, Keystone remains bogged down by red tape and legal challenges. MORE

May. 5, 2015

Op-Ed article by NPR co-host and author Steve Inskeep calls for replacing Andrew Jackson on face of $20 bill with Cherokee leader John Ross, who fought Jackson's brutal advances to control Indian land; suggests keeping Jackson on back of bill, since American democracy was built by people of conflicting interests; imagines pairings on other bills of Americans whose opposing views helped build country. MORE

May. 5, 2015

April 2015 protest by Native American actors who walked off set of Adam Sandler's movie The Ridiculous Six in disgust over offensive content sheds light on problem facing indigenous performers: there are few roles depicting Native Americans as anything but a negative stereotype. MORE

May. 4, 2015

Native American community in South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation is experiencing suicide crisis, with nine people between 12 and 24 years old killing themselves in period beginning December 2014; emergency workers on reservation describe being called to scenes of suicide attempts, sometimes several times per day; some attribute trend to dire lack of mental health professionals and youth culture that has begun encouraging suicide through urban legends and disturbing Internet videos. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

Male members of Yurok Indian tribe are engaged in annual spring tradition of fishing for Pacific lampreys at mouth of Klamath River in northern California; lampreys, which are referred to colloquially as eels, are much-prized traditional foodstuff, and fishing is challenging and sometimes dangerous work. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Native American tribes have fought white government officials in Grant County, Ore, for years in effort to change names of several places in county with 'squaw' in their names; United States Board on Geographic Names requires agreement among local groups and state and local officials for new names, and county officials have not accepted those proposed by local tribes; similar disputes across nation highlight history of racial divisions in America. MORE

Mar. 17, 2015

Lancaster Central school district in western New York unanimously votes to abandon its Redskins mascot, citing it as slur against Native Americans; lacrosse teams in region had pledged to boycott games because of nickname. MORE

Mar. 13, 2015

Lakota Nation Invitational basketball tournament may move from Rapid City, SD, after reports that Native American children were subjected to racial slurs at hockey game in city; other basketball news noted. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Residents of Lancaster, NY, a suburb of Buffalo, remain divided over question of whether nickname 'Redskins' for scholastic sports teams is offensive slur against Native Americans. MORE

Mar. 4, 2015

Hundreds of suburban Buffalo residents in Lancaster, NY, participate in debate on future of Lancaster Central High School's Redskins mascot; many present oppose name change, reflecting national debate over the Washington Redskins, whose name has been cited as offensive by many Native Americans. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

Michael Powell Sports of The Times column examines rez-ball, ultra-fast-paced version of basketball that has emerged at high schools on Navajo reservations in Arizona; observes that sport has developed a passionate following at schools like Arizona's Window Rock and Chinle, where some fans say they have little else to do. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Some Navajo leaders are considering repealing 2005 tribal law prohibiting same-sex marriage, noting that if Supreme Court does rule in favor of legalization later this year, it will not apply to Navajo's sovereign nation; move is opposed by both Navajo traditionalists and other tribal citizens who feel that issues like drug abuse and depression are more of a priority. MORE

Feb. 21, 2015

Albany lacrosse star Lyle Thompson, who played the last three seasons with his brother Miles and cousin Ty, is preparing to begin 2015 season alone as both Miles and Ty finished their collegiate careers in 2014; Thompsons were first Native Americans lacrosse players in upstate New York to attend a Division I university other than Syracuse, and Lyle is widely considered the best player of his generation. MORE

Jan. 26, 2015

Edmund Yazzie, third-term Navajo Nation lawmaker, is also drummer for heavy metal band Testify; genre has been popular among young Navajo since at least 1990s, and band is one of many that exist on Native American reservations across the country; many bands use term 'Rez Metal' to identify themselves. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Rev Junipero Serra, 1700s preacher in California whom Pope Francis plans to canonize, is blamed by native American historians and authors for suppressing their culture and for premature deaths of thousands of their ancestors at missions; there is mounting anger over what some refer to as romanticizing of missions' history. MORE

Dec. 26, 2014

John Yellow Bird Steele, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation tribal president, wants to improve substandard health care for South Dakota's Oglala Sioux by dropping the Indian Health Service and contracting with Sanford Health. MORE

Dec. 4, 2014

Proposed development of sites bordering Grand Canyon National Park have pitted Indian tribes against each other and park officials and conservationists against well-financed developers; park faces several challenges, biggest of which is proposed $1 billion Grand Canyon Escalade development that would include restaurants, boutique hotels, stores, trailer park and gondola to take visitors down to additional attractions on canyon floor. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Michael George Patterson, 59-year-old Native Alaskan lifelong smoker who is chronically ill, tells high school students in Juneau about his impending death and encourages them to avoid smoking; is one of more than two dozen people selected by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to speak out against tobacco use. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Pequot tribe of Native Americans is dimming its public profile and regrouping in face of decreasing revenues from its Foxwoods Resorts and Casino in eastern Connecticut, which is currently $1.7 billion in debt; closes Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center for repairs for several months. MORE

Nov. 28, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Ned Blackhawk recounts 1864 attack by Union armies on peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho villagers at Sand Creek in Colorado, in which nearly 200 women, children and older men were murdered; holds Civil War obscures campaigns like Sand Creek Massacre and other acts of ethnic cleansing against American Indians; calls for National Day of Indigenous Remembrance and Survival to commemorate those murdered at Sand Creek. MORE

Nov. 19, 2014

Brent Michael Davids's concert opera Purchase of Manhattan, one-night-only performance produced by Lenape Center at Marble Collegiate Church, takes Native American perspective in sale of Manhattan to Peter Minuit, who comes off as greedy and conniving. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Federal Bureau of Indian Education schools, a network of about 185 congressionally funded schools in 23 states, are in bad need of physical repair and academic upgrade after decades of neglect; Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has ordered a restructuring that seeks to shift the federal role from creating curriculum and directly administering far-flung schools to providing support and funding to local leaders who would call the shots. MORE

Nov. 3, 2014

Minnesota Vikings defeat Washington Redskins, 29-26, as demonstrators gather in front of TCF Bank Stadium to protest use of Redskins name. MORE

Oct. 21, 2014

George Johnson Raw Data column notes that group of Native Hawaiians has sought to block construction of Thirty Meter Telescope near top of Mauna Kea, protesting that mountain is sacred place; compares scientific community's reaction to Christian fundamentalism with attitudes toward indigenous religions, and questions where scientists should draw lines in terms of catering to religious beliefs. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

Timothy Egan Op-Ed column contends American Indians, most underrepresented people in the country, could be kingmakers for control of the Senate; points out Native American vote in Alaska and South Dakota could be only thing that stands in way of Republican-controlled Senate. MORE

Oct. 10, 2014

Navajo Nation officials in Arizona rule Chris Deschene, one of the candidates for president of the tribe, did not prove that he spoke the Navajo language fluently, and should be removed from ballot. MORE

Sep. 30, 2014

Editorial welcomes Obama administration's $554 million settlement with Navajo Nation, calling it a milestone of long-deferred justice for decades of federal mismanagement of Native American lands; applauds administration for negotiating settlements totaling $2.61 billion so far, and for reversing stalling tactics by the Interior Department that have long tied up tribes in endless litigation. MORE

Sep. 29, 2014

Temporary dog run near Native American memorial in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx has drawn complaints from some Bronx historians and Native Americans who say it is an insult to those who fought and died on the land; critics have mobilized against plan by city parks officials to replace exiting pen with permanent enclosure. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

Navajo Nation will receive $554 million after agreeing to end its claim that the federal government mismanaged tribal resources for more than 50 years; settlement outlined by Justice Department is largest obtained by American Indian tribe from federal government. MORE

Sep. 23, 2014

George Johnson Raw Data column describes scientists' efforts to explain why Anasazi tribes abandoned their cities on Colorado Plateau at dawn of 13th century; notes that most theories revolve around climate; draws comparison between mystery surrounding Anasazi past and that clouding predictions of future in face of global warming. MORE

Aug. 26, 2014

Growing number of younger Native Americans are working to restore native animals to the Northern Great Plains in states like Montana and Nebraska, providing new homes for the animals and a connection to the past; species include genetically pure bison, the swift fox and the black-footed ferret. MORE

Aug. 18, 2014

Radebeul Journal; tussles over ownership of Native American artifacts, including scalps, have come to reflect a broader cultural clash between changing mores surrounding care and repatriation of human remains in United States and fascination of many Germans with mythology of American West; Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian decided that all human remains in their collection should be repatriated for burial, while German institutions like the Karl May Museum view restitution as a threat to their collections and reputations. MORE

Jul. 23, 2014

Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall in Florence, Ala, built by resident Tom Hendrix to commemorate his Native American great-great-grandmother Te-lah-nay, has become draw for wanderers, spiritual leaders and artists; wall recognizes Te-lah-nay's five-year walk home from Oklahoma to Florence after being displaces during Trail of Tears and exemplifies eccentric American tradition of highly personal monuments. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

United States Embassy in Paris attempts to stop sales of Hopi artifacts there on grounds that such Native American tribes object to auctioning of their sacred objects; French courts, in blow to tribes, reject efforts and allow sales to continue. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Federal Judge Kimberly J Mueller bans guns from Rolling Hills Casino in Northern California, citing potential threat to public safety; Native American casino is at center of escalating tribal dispute between factions of Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians. MORE

Jun. 19, 2014

United States Patent and Trademark Office rules that Washington Redskins team name is disparaging and strips NFL team of federal protections for six of its trademarks; ruling is latest indication of mounting disapproval of one of the league's most established and lucrative brands, and is likely to amplify strident debate at the crossroads of politics, sports and money. MORE

Jun. 19, 2014

Editorial supports Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruling that six trademarks granted to owners of Washington Redskins football team should be canceled because name is disparaging to many American Indians; holds that team should reconsider its plan to appeal ruling and its refusal to change name that is offensive to many. MORE

Jun. 14, 2014

Pres Obama, making his first visit to an American Indian reservation as president, tells raucous of 1,800 people at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation that he has delivered on a campaign promise to improve relations between the government and the nation’s tribes; powwow honors American Indians who have served in America's foreign wars. MORE

May. 30, 2014

Brothers Miles and Lyle Thompson, star lacrosse players at State University of New York at Albany, become first Native Americans to win Tewaaraton Award, trophy given to best lacrosse player in the nation, and the first players to share it. MORE

May. 28, 2014

Supreme Court rules in 5-to-4 decision that Michigan may not sue an Indian tribe, Bay Mills Indian Community, to shut down casino opened far from tribe's reservation; notes in majority opinion that Indian tribes are entitled to sovereign immunity that prohibits lawsuits against them over commercial activities outside Indian lands. MORE

May. 22, 2014

Fifty members of US Senate sign letter to NFL urging its leadership to press the Washington Redskins to change their team name, citing it as a racial slur; letter contends that organizations representing more than two million Native Americans and 300 sovereign tribes had passed resolutions supporting a change in a team name they find racially offensive. MORE